Green and blue
by Troussolo
Summary: [AU] "Step back dear, you wouldn't like being taken away by the depth's inhabitants..." The young James Potter indeed wouldn't like that. But what if they did not took his whole self, only his heart ? A long journey begins, with love being the final destination.
1. Encounter

**Hello ! I finally decided to post something non-manga based, haha. So, here is my new AU-ish fanwork on Harry Potter. Marauders' era, indeed. The AU is about Lily being a mermaid, just that. I'll post a chapter by day, I swear ! Unbelievable, right ? I wrote it all in a go, there's only a small editing job left to do. It's a total count of around 3.700 words, if you're interested ! (And roughly 20.200 caracters, which makes it look bigger than it is.)**

 **Disclaimer (which I won't rewrite at the beginning of each chapter) : the characters/universe are JK Rowling's, and it's perfect the way it is. The plot idea is MINE though.**

 **Now we're okay for the rest if the ride. Enjoy !**

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"Step back dear, you wouldn't like being taken away by the depths' inhabitants."

James did as told. He did not feared the darkness lingering few meters beyond them; he did not wanted to make his mother sad in case such events were meant to happen. His father, who had witnessed the small scene, laughed quietly.

"Darling, you know they'd give him back soon enough."

He allowed the toddler to sit on his knees and gently ruffled his hairs. Mrs. Potter felt more reassured seeing the young James sitting on his father's lap whilst the boat kept roaming around in a large circle. Therefore, she did not mind her husband implying it would be fine if their child happened to disappear.

In fact, James was not that troublesome. He just had to learn to use things for their sole purpose. But they both knew it; he will grow as a powerful wizard. Until then, he was enjoying his childhood and eagerly waiting for his eleventh birthday and his Hogwarts letter.

"Dad, monsters have kids too, do they ?"

Fleamont looked curious as to where this random question came from. A question was a question, though. And those asked by a younger one were as meaningful and valuable as the others. Maybe even more.

"I guess they do, James. It depends on what do you call a monster", he then noticed.

Eugenia warned him with a quick glance. She did not wanted them to wander too far on this topic, whether they talked about kids or monsters. The child's gaze got lost in the horizon as he tried to determine more accurately what he meant while saying 'monsters'. The sun's reflection on the lazy waves distracted him for a while, along with the thought of these terrific beauties laying underwater.

It took him a strong five minutes to get his point. He was about to share it when an unusual detail caught his sight. Between the green seaweed, a colorful plant appeared. It was too deep for him to tell exactly. Maybe the dazzling sunset caused this spot to appear in his sight. He blinked few times and looked elsewhere to check if the spot would follow; it didn't. But when he looked again, it had disappeared.

Fleamont noticed his son's sudden concern and asked him what was it about. He replied that it must be his imagination playing tricks on him. The same colorful spot was seen again, closer to the surface. He jumped down and ran to the edge of the boat again. Now, it was close enough for him to notice it wasn't a plant, but long hairs. He could also see a pale back, which was gradually covered by scales until it turned to a dark red tail. It was both scary and fascinating. The creature seemed to move closer to him. He knew he should retreat to warn his parents, but he couldn't move. Deep inside, he hoped he would also get the chance to see the creature's face.

His mother was ready to scare it away, but Fleamont held her back, saying it didn't looked harmful. There were a lot like them for wary eyes. It would be a waste of time to chase them all. Finally, it dared to peek out of the water. It looked more human than James thought it would. No abnormal fangs, horn or third eye.

"A... a girl ?"

He tilted his head to the side, feeling puzzled by the idea. Why would she swim over there ? And what was that weird spell she used to turn into this aquatic animal ?

"No, dear", Eugenia whispered. "A mermaid."

A lonely mermaid, though. Her deadly voice wasn't heard. She didn't tried to lure him in the water by some tricks those of her kind usually played on humans. She just stayed there, following the boat from afar. This game of cat and mouse lasted few minutes. James' parents anxiousness level rose quickly from this point.

She came even closer drew by the same curiosity he showed. He noticed few scales on her arms too. Her green eyes hosted a glimmer of intelligence but no wickedness. They shined brighted than human eyes. It reminded him of the picture of tropical forests, in another continent. Her hairs started to dry, and he noticed they still had a pretty color. Somewhere between brown and orange. She was also staring at him as if she wished she could draw his face again someday.

She (it ?) seemed to be around his age, assuming they had the same way to count years. He smiled at her. Some thought suddenly clouded her gaze, and she hissed as if to warn him. Hearing that, Eugenia couldn't stand it and casted a minor spell towards the threat. The mermaid hissed a bit louder then dived toward the unexplored depths.

"It would be safer to go back now", Fleamont noticed. "We are lucky, this one seemed to be a loner."

And so, they retreated towards the beach. James kept thinking about the mermaid they encountered while the adults were already discussing lighter topics. All he did was smile, and she reacted as if he had physically harmed her. And yet for a moment, before she hissed at him, he was pretty sure she smiled too.


	2. Time lapse

**Day two, chapter two. If you're on spring break, I hope you're enjoying your first week end !**

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The Great Lake always reminded him of that summer. He never saw the mermaid again and yet, he never forgot about it either. One could say this was just the memory of an impressed child. Many things could be said, actually.

On the course of February, the Marauders decided to spy on Snape since for some reason, the Slytherin student used to disappear to a secret location which wasn't the Shrieking Shack. Tonight had been one of these nights. Once there, they said they'd pull a small prank on him, not to lose the good habits. The hurried behind him in their Animagi shapes (except for Remus, who was exceptionally carried by James) for few miles. The wind got colder, but the woods got clearer too. They started to wonder what was worth going through such a hassle, almost daily.

This small trip leaded them to the Great Lake. They could see the waves regularly breaking the landscape's reflection. Another surprise was that Snape wasn't alone. That or he drove insane and talked to himself. Their doubts vanished as they heard a feminine voice talking back.

"This plant", she said, "Is quite common in potions supposed to affect one's behavior. It mostly grows around.."

"Mate, I didn't came here to hear him taking additional Potions lessons", Sirius growled.

They had been turning back into humans and dressing up again in no time. Remus told them to shut up before they get noticed. James wanted to see who was he talking to. If it was another student, he wouldn't have risked sneaking out after the curfew. There was no moonlight to help him. Hopefully, Remus had a great sight and Snape was using his wand to make some light.

"Please, describe her for me", James asked Remus.

With a small sigh, Remus dared to peek at the pair. Snape held a notebook on his lap and eagerly wrote down everything she said. No surprise. What was he supposed to do again ?

"How does she looks like ?" Sirius asked again

Ah, yes. Describe the woman.

"She's uh, a mermaid. Redhead, green eyes and... guess her tail is dark because I can't see the color from here."

James heart beated faster. It couldn't be her. Sure, there had to be a lot of redheads with green eyes and a dark tail wandering around.

"Can you see her chest ?"

He smacked Sirius at the back of his head. There were eighty percent of chances of this mermaid not to be the same but just in case, he would not allow any perverted thoughts.

"Ow !"

Snape and the mermaid stopped talking to look in the noise's direction. Sirius kept growling while rubbing the spot where his friend hit him. Remus pushed them deeper in the forest.

"We have to go !"

He totally agreed. Snape might have guessed who they were, but she had no clue. Sadly, Sirius wasn't sharing this idea. He ran to to Snape with a cheeky grin. James came after him but he couldn't prevent Snape from seeing them this time. The mermaid was too startled to flee. Maybe she thought they'd harm him, hence why she didn't wanted to leave.

"I'll be fine, Lily. Just go", Snape hurriedly told her.

James couldn't help but stare at her. She seemed to be the same. And she did looked like being as old as him. Maybe a bit younger. This time, she was the one to be stuck, not able to wander away.

"What are you doing ? -"

Sirius waved his wand and the mermaid was lifted few meters away from the lake. Four pairs of eyes were looking at him with utter shock.

"Sirius, stop it for fuck's sake", Peter said.

"It's okay Pete, I know what I'm-"

He pulled him out of the way before Snape's spell reached him. The red beam of light ended up exploding against a tree. Lily was momentarily freed from Sirius' spell. He had been too surprised to keep focusing on it. Snape told her to leave, again.

James wanted to tell him to shut up. She left the plant on the dirt and swam away from them. An arrow was shot from their right. If the centaurs got involved, they'd never be able to step in this place again. All five of them ran until they reached the castle's grounds.

For the second time, she escaped before he could do anything about it. Snape walked past them, angrily gritting his teeth. To the other Marauders, this had been a waste of time. He didn't thought so. But the outcome of this expedition made him feel more flustered than he had ever been.

First, he couldn't talk to her. Second, he had to admit that Snape somehow managed to approach her and build some kind of relationship. He felt jealous of that. And Sirius barging in certainly didn't helped. Getting closer from her will be complicated. As if it would stop him.

At least, he knew she was around. After they small meeting, if it can be called this way, Snape stopped visiting the Great Lake. James only started going there after few weeks. Except when the full moon was near, because Remus needed them at that time. Otherwise, he would sit there for an hour or two and talk about random things. Few times, he saw an unnatural change in the waves direction, but there weren't only mermaids around, and he couldn't be convinced it was her. But somedays he felt like the lake was more quiet than others, and these days, he knew she was away.

One night, she dared to approach the shore until she was only two meters away from it. But she just stayed there, eyeing him with mistrust. Soon, it'll be spring and the days will get longer. He will be able to come more often. At the moment, he came around the new moon. And vanished as the moon rose.

"Your name is Lily, right ?"

She nodded. Her hairs were spread around her shoulders. The water made them move as if they had a life on their own. Her eyes still shined more than human eyes would. He was used to talk alone now, talking with a mute interlocutor didn't changed much.

"My name is-"

"James."

She did not let him finish introducing himself properly. His eyes widened. He had gotten used to the idea she'll never talk to him.

"I heard your father calling you that day", she added.


	3. Few more encouters

Of course, I wouldn't be me if I posted on time... haha. Sorry, I'm lame(s) :/

Anyway, I'll post two chapters today to make up for that ! Enjoy ~

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Her voice was very soft. The strange thing was that she could be heard despite standing (floating ?) meters away from him. This certainly had something to do with her being a mermaid.

"That's.. true", he replied with a small nod.

"You called me a monster. Why are you seeking my presence now ?"

From what he could see, her mood was caught between curiosity and... something else. Like she was comparing the person she had in front of her with the person Snape told her about. She really did remembered everything he said in that boat... He bowed his head.

"I didn't meant to. My apologizes."

Her tail gracefully swayed behind her as she thought of whether she should accept or reject them. He couldn't believe she had been holding a grudge against him for so long.

"Apologies accepted."

He looked up. She dived and for a small moment, he feared she might be gone. But she reappeared under him, which reassured and surprised him at the same time. She had not made a single noise, which was not surprising in regards of what she was. But still. It was the first time he got so close fromthem. Usually, they were told not to approach them. Because of the legends, you know. Although they were more facts than legend in the wizarding world.

"Why have you been searching for me ?" she asked again.

"Because I love you."

This was the first time he acknowledged the fact. But there was no other explanation. For what other reason would he regularly break countless rules and put himself in danger every time, just to talk to her ? She did not seemed to believe him, though. She pushed her hairs behind her shoulders and rested her chin on the back of her hands. Her brows were delicately arched as to show her disbelief. One thing was sure, he wasn't interested by her knowledge.

"You only saw me once, years ago."

"It was enough."

She did not replied and took some time to take a closer look at his features. The same feeling that caused her to run away last time emerged from the deepest parts of her mind. Many other people fell in love with mermaids, she thought. It was a part of the spell. No big deal.

"He told me that you enjoyed fooling around with girls. That you lacked a heart", she mused.

He did not needed to ask who. The sneaky Slytherin, indeed. Snape. The realisation slowly reached his brain. Maybe he might have fell in love with her too.

"I do lack one, since you took it", he replied with a faint grin.

He mentally hit himself few times. Repressing his flirty instincts was a hard task and required way too much self control. But that worked. He could see her trying not to smile.

"I'm afraid I can't return your feelings", she finally said. "I'm a mermaid."

He shrugged.

"You could become a human."

"Yes, if I loved you enough for that."

"You don't ?"

"Obviously not."

She had stopped staring at him dead in the eye. A second realisation hit him. She was lying.

"That's for your werewolf friend", she suddenly said while handing him a handful of plants. "It'll ease his struggles when the moon rises."

He carefully took it. She didn't looked like she would want to poison Remus. Their talk was getting to an end, he could see that she was ready to leave.

"Wait !"

She kept floating under him, patiently waiting for whatever he wanted to do.

"Let me touch you."

She shook her head, slowly drifting away. Wherever the waves will take her, they always came back here at some point.

"Please ?"

"Next time, maybe."

After returning to the castle, he immediately started brewing the potion supposed to help Remus, fearing the plants might die if he didn't use them. Much to his content, it made Remus' burden lighter. Of course, he never told them where did he found the idea for this potion. Sirius, though, knew that his friend didn't came up with this alone. Then... who helped him ? This was very unlikely but he eventually came to a conclusion.

"Snivellus !"

The Slytherin student mumbles few curses as he turned around to walk on the other direction. What did he wanted this time, he did not had much time to waste. He did not had any, to be more accurate. Especially if he was supposed to waste it by talking with a blood traitor. Sirius was in a better physical condition than him; it took him less than five seconds to run after his target and proudly stand in his way. Snape looked at him with annoyance and disdain.

"It's _Snape_."

"That's what I said. Anyway, what are you up to ?"

"What am I up to ?"

Snape narrowed his eyes. He could not see the rest of the Marauders anywhere... what kind of prank were they trying to pull on him this time, he'd give his cauldron to find the answer. Sirius huffed.

"Yes ! What is your great plan, what are you trying to do ?"

"I must say I..." he pursed his lips, ".. quite do not understand what you are talking about."

He was wary. But nothing fell on him, wet or solid. Not even the slightest particle of powder. Sirius crossed his arms on his chest. He could not believe the student in front of him had nothing to do with this potion. He was involved in all the potion-related troubles !

"So that's how it is, huh ? Listen, it wasn't Remus' fault if he attacked you in the Shrieking Shack but yours only, you knew it was a bad idea to follow us. And if you're too stubborn to take the blame, then let's say it was our fault - Peter, James and I -. So, there's no point in poisoning Remus !"

A hint of interest showed up in his eyes. Something interesting had finally been said.

"Is he dead yet ?"

If looks could kill he'd be for sure.

" _I knew it_ ! If something happens to him..."

Snape shrugged. He knew the lyrics. As there was no point in listening anymore, he casually walked past the Marauder.

"Meet me when he's dead, I might have something for your friend Potter too."

Thinking his point had been proven, Sirius did not thought about confronting James on that topic anymore. And so, the misunderstanding remained. No one even noticed the hateful looks they occasionally shot at each other; it was not a secret that Snape hated the Marauders, and that they returned the feelings.


	4. In which things take a whole new turn

**As promised, here is the second chapter I'll post in a row !**

* * *

Sirius had to admit that the potion was not a poison. Either that, or it was a long-time effect beverage. As he stopped focusing on Snape, he could notice James' disappearances. There was no doubt about where he'd go. On one hand, he felt worried about that because not many mermaids had a heart, and fewer were willing to give it. But talking James out of it... he'd have more chances of success if he went to ask to the Professor McGonagall to join the Marauders. As much as he disliked the idea of witnessing his best friend's story end up in a tragic way, he had to let it be.

Snape tried finding out what Sirius meant during their last meeting. Because he was definitely not silly enough to try to poison Remus himself. But if what the dog said was true, then that someone knew Potter and he trusted them well enough to give the potion to Remus. Now, he just needed to find someone who knew about the werewolf's secret and who would like him or Potter enough to help. Nothing very complicated, he thought while hurrying towards the library.

The Great Lake's depths were more lively than they used to. Lily did not belonged here. But then again, she did not belonged anywhere. She looked more like a human than a monster. Except for the tail, the scales on few parts of her upper body and her fins. But as long as she did not bothered anyone and made herself as discreet as possible, they would leave her alone. Many humans came around lately. That woke up few ancient creatures, who had not tasted the earth inhabitants' blood since few decades. This spelled trouble in capital letters. She'd better warn him before something bad happens.

Two days later, they had a brief talk. The last one before a long time, it seems. Lily felt more relieved than anything else. This also meant her inner turmoil will stop. It will disappear, along with him and the doubts he brought. Everything was for the better, or so she thought. On his way to the common room, James heard few ghosts whispering about the Great Lake. Damn, he did not thought it was that troublesome.

He successfully graduated from third year. Remus didn't die. Sirius thought things had a strange way to arrange themselves, but he wasn't going to complain about that. The moment where they had to awkwardly wave at each other while promising to meet during the summer came faster than expected. But they all needed some time apart, after this eventful year.

This summer, he saw her wandering around. She once told him that she had always been living here, she just did not used to show herself. His parents found out, but they couldn't keep them apart for too long. They tried really hard. Some things were just meant to happen. He might flirt with other girls, but honestly, no one could compare.

"She is not even human !" his mother once told him.

To which he just laughed, saying that she was more human than few people he knew of.

One afternoon they both sat next to each other on a wooden bridge. It was their first meetig since Lily told him not to come near the Great Lake again. The bridge was supposed to lead somewhere, like all bridges, but this one was as moody as Hogwarts' stairs and did not leaded anywhere that day. At this time, they were both fifteen. Some days, they would keep teasing each other until one of them (Lily, mostly) got annoyed and disappeared. Others, they would discuss about pointless matters or not say anything.

As time passed, Lily was gradually able to turn her tail into legs. But it was kind of the same thing than an Animagi transfiguration; it was tiring and she didn't felt at ease. Plus, she did not wanted to walk more than few steps on the dirt. Afraid that she might not turn into a mermaid again, maybe ?  
The clumsy flirting turned into some kind of routine for them. But she would continously reject him, like a bottle thrown in the sea. To thin she did not even had to sing to catch him in her net. Another day, she tried to scare him away. It could have worked. But it did not.

That day, she randomly pecked his lips. It was very sunny, which did not happened that often to be honest. But the weather wasn't very warm. To cut a long story short, there were not many signs to warn him about the odd turn his life would take. James took few seconds to process the information. In the time being, she had pulled him in another heated kiss which he eagerly returned. There was no need to question it. Not like he was able to create such elaborate thoughts right now. It felt like the world around him turned upside down.

And it literally did, as she pulled him underwater.

He did not felt the difference at first. His sight got blurry. The world around got colder, but it had already disappeared from his perception when their lips had touched. Her hairs spread around her head. He felt them against his cheek as she kept pulling him deeper. Right now, she was the only set element of his surroundings. It would be wise to feel scared.

But love had it's reasons,

and fate had it's ways.


	5. Out of the blue

**Heya ! Seems like I'm under some powerful curse, I definitely can't post something on a daily basis. Sorry /bows. Please bare with me, haha. Anyway, you're set for two chapters in a row ! I said I'll finish this story within the wek and I bloody will ! Hehe.**

 **Enjoy ~**

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No one was home when he returned. He would have a hard time explaining why his clothes were soaked and his lips swollen. He quickly changed into dry clothes, which did not improved his situation since water kept dripping from his messy hairs. He ended up dropping himself on his bed, thinking about her lips against his. Much to his surprise, this memory didn't tasted like goodbye. Yet, they were not meant to see each other again for few years. Which did not changed his mind. He could really not help it. She had his heart, end of the story. Thinking about it, his mind had nothing to do with it. Love had it's reasons, his ways, everything.

The surprising thing was that he was still alive. She did not drowned him or anything else creatures of her kind were supposed to do. But she did wanted him to understand that she was dangerous for him. Though if danger scared James Potter, he wouldn't spend his full moons next to a werewolf. Just to mention that.

Still, he got her point. She could have killed him in no time. But you know what ? She did not. And for him, that meant a lot. It surely did for her too. It felt like she entrusted him something which he couldn't understand nor recognize yet. He will figure it out. Hopefully, before their next meeting.

" _James Fleamont Potter_ ! Get down here and explain us _why_ is the carpet _soaked_ !"

His mother's voice pulled him out of his daydream. Welp, time to get back into trouble.

"Comin' !"

Sounds like he was fine for few hours of carpet-drying.

At some point, he tried to convince himself that everything was for the better. Mermaids could not develop feelings for humans without putting their lives at risk. He could not feel angry about that. Actually.. he could not feel anything negative towards her. Did she ever felt something for him, though ? The look in her eyes when she happened to be caught off guard made sure she did. She was just skilled at hiding them.

Sirius also did his best to prevent him from thinking too much about her. He felt relieved beyond words when James told him, few months after their sixth school year has started, that he hadn't seen her around for a while. The next step was to cut her from his memories, which he planned to do as soon as possible. Things seemed to return to their usual state, finally. It was a shame though, that James wasted so many years running after her.

James had not gotten over her. How could he ? She was everywhere, green eyes and flame hairs, knowledge and concern. No, he just managed to lure everyone into thinking that it was over. Which also meant hanging with other girls... and more.

The magical speakers blasted loud music to every corner of the house. Few years ago, he would have been in his element. Now that he was so close from leaving his teenage years behind, something seemed off. Spring break, like every break, rhymed with parties and that kinf of stuff. One thing that did not changed though, was how most ladies surrendered to his aura. He just had to pick one, which pretty much annoyed Sirius. Remus wasn't into that stuff and Peter...

"Where is Wormtail ?"

He wasn't heard because of the surrounding noise. Well damn. Peter was a grown-up too, he would be fine on his own. He downed a glass of firewhiskey to get rid of the odd feeling taking his heart and his mind in hostage then went hitting on someone. The lucky one was way too happy to think about waving him off. It was too easy. If Lily had been the same, would he still feel the same way towards her ?

He barely felt the body under his hands. It was definitely not because of the alcohol – he only had one glass – yet he could not think of another reason.

He tried to look at her. She was pretty, indeed. Blue eyes, tan skin.. She was just not the one he wanted to hold. Over the years, Lily must have mastered her ability to turn into a human. Maybe she got over him already. The thought was unbearable. He was pulled in another heated kiss.

He did not wished to go further, for it felt like a betrayal. He ended up wandering in the house. At least, the sound of music was a bit muffled. He could have cast a spell on his ears but he did not thought of it. The tip of a wand met his neck. Something was definitely going wrong. No, to be more accurate, it went wrong already. But at which point ?

He slowly drew his wand and turned around to face his opponent.

"Sirius ?"

There was an odd delay between when he spoke, and when he heard himself. Maybe the firewhiskey wasn't that clean after all. The other nodded, still poiting his wand at him.

"What's going on, point that somewhere else."

"You still think of it."

He raised a brow. So, his attitude has changed that much. And Lily was a 'her', not 'it'. Unless he referred to their encounters ? He decided to let it pass for now.

"Whatever, mate."

"You can't get over it on your own."

Sirius took a step forward. He did not moved, although it would have been wiser to.

"What if I do not want to ?" he challenged.

"Her spell makes you say that. You do-"

"There is no spell, damn it !"

He wanted to break a vase. There was none around. Unfortunate turn of the events.

"You'll feel better once it's over."

The pity in Sirius' voice made him mad beyong words. Ugh, really ?

He dived to avoid whichever spell was cast at him. Sirius yelped as he lost his balance. The two rolled on the ground, throwing punches at each other. Without wishing for anyone to get hurt, which could not lead anywhere but to a draw. With Sirius on the top.

"Don't you dare", James hissed.

"It's the only way !"

They rolled further. This time, James ended up above his friend.

"Grow up ! You just can't bloody stand the fact that there's someone else in my mind", he angrily spat.

"There will never be anything, it's just a dead weight you keep holding on", Sirius retorted with as much venom as he could.

For the first time, James noticed Sirius' similiarities with his relatives. It was frightening, for a figure he used to see as friendly for such a long time. Their little fight was invisible to everyone else, first because no one else was around and second, because it was so noisy that no one could notice. James jumped to his feet and easily disarmed Sirius, sending his wand few meters away. He then walked away without glancing back.

He wanted to doubt his love, he wanted to doubt everything that was related to her. But these feelings were so strong he just couldn't. They were a part of him now. And not the smallest one.


	6. In which many things happen

**Sixth chapter, cheers ! It was meant to end there but since it's only thursday, I might write something like a bonus. I most likely will. This fanfic was a personal bet, I wanted to finish a work of fiction in a defined amount of time... and I surprisingly managed to do so. Although I must admit that it went to another direction that what I planned at first... I have to admit it's not too bad, because my first drafts barely had something to pull them together and make them look like an actual story.**

 **Anyway, I can feel my endless talks tiring you so (maybe you even skipped them ? haha) so I'll stop there. (Understand me, I feel like putting the writer talk at the end of the chapter/story ruins the mood.)**

 **Enjoy !**

* * *

With the pressure put by teachers on exams and everything, he did not had the time to feel bothered about Sirius and him being mad at each other. It's surprising how in a short span of time, vivid friendships could turn into faded pictured. Though, he hoped they will get over it soon. The situation was bad enough, and he wouldn't like to force Remus and Peter to 'choose' their side. There were so many things that he needed to work out...

He did not even had to worry about what he'll do after being done with Hogwarts. His parents even told him about the lessons where he'll need to get O's. Hopefully, Divination was not in the pack. From what he guessed, it was somethig similar to being an Auror, but not quite. He wouldn't enjoy working for the Ministry of Magic anyway.

By the time the results came, all four Marauders were able to sit in the same room without starting a war. Along with the Hogwarts letter, each owl delivered a small parchment. They decided to open it later, after knowing about their grades. All we can say is that they had a hard time not burning anything out of joy.

"Hey, what's about these ?"

At some point, Sirius remembered about the odd parchments. Remus and James stopped jumping on the bed, giving some rest to Peter who rolled around to avoid getting stepped on.

"Oh, you're right. It doesn't looks like they're from Hogwarts", Remus noticed.

"How do we know which one is for who ? They all look the same."

Peter took one and carefully looked at it. There were no names.

"I say we just take one and open it. I pick this one", Sirius said, stealing the one Peter held.

"Okay, this one's mine."

After they all had a parchment in their hands, they sat in a circle and opened them at the same time. Just in case...

"T'was 'bout time !"

A very realistic copy of Alastor Moidy emerged at the middle of their circle. A high-pitched yelp was heard. Peter, most likely. He had a hard time keeping his Animagi features away.

"We knew you airheads were going to mess up with them, so we just cast the same spell to deliver the same message", it added, eyeing every single one of them.

The mad eye made it even more unsettling. They didn't uttered a word, staring at it with awe.

"You're scaring them out, damn it ! I'll take the job from this point."

"Fine, fine."

It growled but still disappeared, replaced with few golden words shining in front of their eyes.

" _Sirius Orion Black_

 _James Fleamont Potter_

 _Remus Lupin_

 _and Peter Pettigrew,_

 _also known as Padfoot, Prongs, Moony and Wormtail, have joined and are now permanent members of the Order of Phoenix._

 _Congratulations to the four of them._ "

Even after the letter disappeared and their parchements turned to ashes, they still couldn't believe it.

"They forgot to tell us when do we start", Sirius noticed.

Peter shook his head.

"I think we-"

"I agree with Peter, we should just be ready anytime", Remus nodded.

"Hey Sirius, your middle name is really Orion ?" James asked.

"Yes, why ?"

"Because that makes your initials S O B. I always knew you were a weep."

A giant dog jumped on James, pinning him to the ground.

"Mate, you're drooling ! Stop that ! Someone help me-"

After he had washed his face, they planned to celebrate everything at once : Sirius and James getting over their small grudges for everyone's sake, their graduation and their acceptance in the Order. Fun times ahead.

From this point, life felt like a long teenage dream. No one was hurt. They were together, and their friendship had reached a new level of mutual understanding after going through the hard times. They weren't always sent in a mission together but somehow, they always end up completing it at four, no matter what kind of task they had to realise.

One afternoon as he got back from his mission, something familiar caught James' eye. This hue of orange brought long-forgotten memories to his heart. He forbade himself to keep thinking about her. And now...

He shook his head, getting out of his jumble of thoughts. He did not expected to see her again. Especially not in the Order's headquarters. She was already walking away- but he wasn't letting her slip between his fingers this time.

"Lily !"

She stopped moving for half a second, deeply shook by this familiar voice. He used this small amount if time to reduce the distance between them and reached for her hand.

"James."

"What did you do when you first saw me ?"

He blurted out the question before having a second thought. These identity verifications were the first thing he had been taught.

"I hissed at you", she calmly replied. "What was the first thing you told me when we met again near the Great Lake ?"

"I asked a confirmation about your name. Godric, it's really you !"

He made her spin in the air then pulled her against his chest, laughing.

"So, you are fully human now ? No turning back ?"

She shook her head, smiling. He couldn't stop his hilarity, not able to keep it inside. Happy ? No. In love ? Neither. Madly in love and elated ? Damn right.

The fact she was standing there was directly related to the nature of her feelings towards him. His brain did not needed much time to process the information. It quickly got busy dealing with the overwhelming happiness brought by this sight.

"I missed you. You can't imagine..."

Of course, she could. They exchanged a long, gentle kiss. Shacklebolt almost ran into the lovebirds and told them that rooms were made for snogging, unlike halls. He then kept heading to his first destination.

"Am I the only one surprised to see you here ?"

The older wizard had walked past Lily as if she had always been there. It felt out of the place for him, whi had been looking for her for so long.

"I joined a while ago, you know."

This called for further explanations, but he didn't doubt the fact she'll tell him everything when the right time comes. Before someone else ran into them and went rambling around, they started moving towards the exit.

"Seems like we all have a lot of stories to tell each other, right ?" she said.

He nodded. His cheeky grin did not wanted to leave his features.

"Sure. We have all our time, don't we ?"

"Of course we do. Stop grinning like an idiot now."

She playfully punched his arm. A random thought crossed his mind. He kept holding onto it before another burst of joy makes him forget about.

"Thinking of it, it's kind of weird that you don't have a last name."

"Now I do. It's Evans."

"Lily Evans", he repeated. "Sounds good to me. Where did you got it ?"

"It's a long story.."

"Alright. I'm looking forward to hearing it", he winked.

The dream felt like it ended, as he woke by her side. It was weird how he didn't saw her before, since all the Order members used to stumble upon each other few times a day. He decided not to dwell on it for now, the moment was too perfect.

Childhood loves don't always take the same shape. People do not always grow next to each other then reunite for a happy ending. It doesn't always feel natural for both. They might grow apart. But when fates are so tightly bound to each other, this doesn't lasts forever.

And they were far from a happy ending. Come on, the beginning had barely ended yet !


End file.
